U.S. Army Corps lays out plan to study Asian carp

CHICAGO (AP) -- Federal officials have laid out a plan for studying how to stop invasive species -- including the voracious Asian carp -- from migrating between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that the primary focus of the $25 million study will be on Chicago waterways, because that's where canals provide a direct connection between the two basins.

Many fear that Asian Carp could outcompete other species of fish for food if they reach the Great Lakes, potentially devastating the lakes' $7 billion-a-year fishing industry.

But the study also will look at others areas where flooding could open pathways for carp and other invasive species.